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Girls want to be accepted,
appreciated, and liked. And when they don’t fit the criteria, some girls
try to “fix” themselves. This can lead to eating disorders, dieting,
depression, and low self esteem.

I’m in a ballet class with a
bunch of high-school girls. On a daily basis I hear comments like: “It’s
a fat day,” and “I ate well today, but I still feel fat.” Ballet
dancers do get a lot of flack about their bodies, but it’s not just
ballet dancers who feel the pressure to be “pretty”. It’s everyone. To
girls today, the word “pretty” means skinny and blemish-free. Why is
that, when so few girls actually fit into such a narrow category? It’s
because the media tells us that “pretty” girls are impossibly thin with
perfect skin.

Here’s what lots of girls don’t know. Those
“pretty women” that we see in magazines are fake. They’re often
photoshopped, air-brushed, edited to look thinner, and to appear like
they have perfect skin. A girl you see in a magazine probably looks a
lot different in real life. As part of SPARK Movement, a girl-fueled,
national activist movement, I’ve been fighting to stop magazines, toy
companies, and other big businesses from creating products, photo
spreads and ads that hurt girls’ and break our self-esteem. With SPARK,
I’ve learned that we have the power to fight back.

That’s why
I’m asking Seventeen Magazine to commit to printing one unaltered --
real -- photo spread per month. I want to see regular girls that look
like me in a magazine that’s supposed to be for me.

For the sake
of all the struggling girls all over America, who read Seventeen and
think these fake images are what they should be, I’m stepping up. I know
how hurtful these photoshopped images can be. I’m a teenage girl, and I
don’t like what I see. None of us do. Will you join us by signing this
petition and asking Seventeen to take a stand as well and commit to one
unaltered photo spread a month?

What happened after 86,000 people signed Julia's petition?

Julia's message to all her supporters: "Seventeen listened!
They're saying they won't use photoshop to digitally alter their models!
This is a huge victory, and I'm so unbelievably happy. Another petition
is being started by SPARK activists Emma and Carina, targeting Teen
Vogue and I will sign it. If we can be heard by one magazine, we can do
it with another. We are sparking a change!"

About Me

Author. Blogger. Make-The-World-A-Better-Placer. Out to Empower LGBTQ Teens and their Allies. SCBWI 2015 Member of the Year. Represented by Danielle Smith of Lupine Grove Creative. All opinions expressed on this blog are solely my own.

The Small Print: How To Recommend Books To Include, and a Disclaimer

Don't see your favorite Book here? First do a search in the top left search box. Then check my "Books Still To Come" list. If you still don't see it, just click on "Contact Me" and leave me a note. I appreciate all your help making this blogsite a comprehensive resource! Also, when you've read one of the books listed, help other visitors out by adding a review.

Submission Guidelines: If you are an author or publisher, I do not generally accept review copies, since I don't really review the books featured on this blog - My goal is to let readers review them. All I need is a synopsis (including what's significantly GLBTQ about the book - so I know why I should include it here), a link to the author website or some online info or interview with the author, and the book's release date (as I don't post on books before they are available to the public.) Please make sure to include your contact info so I can follow up with you!

Disclaimer: Having said that, some of the books discussed on this blog may have been provided by the author or publisher. While some Links when you click on a book cover image will take you to a bookstore online (as one option of how you can get the book), I do not currently have any commission or credit arrangement for linked purchases. The opinions expressed on this blog, unless they're a comment from someone else, are my own.

Please, be kind and patient with each other, with yourselves, and, well - with me. Thanks! Lee